Geographical Features:
The south Moluccas homeland consists of some 150 islands
located in the Banda Sea. Its main islands are Ceram, Ambon and Buru.
Population:
The South Moluccans are Melanesians and there are
about 1 million people who live in the Republic of South Moluccas.
There are currently 50,000 Moluccans living in the Netherlands.

Organisations:
The South Moluccas is represented in UNPO by the
Republic of South Moluccas, the Republik Maluku Selatan (RMS).
Brief History:
1600s The Netherlands invaded the South Moluccas and incorporated
the region into the Dutch East Indies.
1949 The Dutch ceded sovereignty to an independent Federal
Republic of Indonesia. The South Moluccas formed part of the state of
Eastern Indonesia, one of the member-states of the Federation.

1950 Indonesian President Sukarno intended to change the states
character from a federal into a unitarian state and the South Moluccans
declared their country independent from the component State of
east Indonesia. Since the declaration, the South Moluccas struggle
politically world-wide for recognition of their rights to self-
determination and independence as a free republic.
1951 Moluccan islands were occupied by Indonesian forces.

1966 The government of the South Moluccas functioned as a
government in exile in the Netherlands.
1978 The Dutch parliament decided to regard the case of the
South Moluccas being closed, no official contacts have taken
place between the two governments.
1991 The South Moluccas became a member of UNPO.
1996 The repression of the Moluccans continues.
Many Indonesians have migrated to the region taking the
better job opportunities.

Current situation:

The South Moluccas continue in their struggle for international
recognition and eventual independence. Because of Indonesians
transmigration policy, the South Moluccans may become a
minority in their own country. With the growth and the increasing
boldness of the democratic movement in Indonesia, the resistance
in the Republic of South Moluccas has the opportunity to enter
a new direction and gain momentum. Increased contacts with
the government in exile make the development of a unified
national and international strategy an important task for the
RMS government and people on the ground.
Maluku Selatan is officially recognised by UN and international
community as a part of Republic of Indonesia. But The RMS
movement's group now which is in Netherland
still active trying to instabilize the government of Republic of Indonesia.

Repoebliek Maluku Selatan and the Korean War

When the DUTCH EAST INDIES in 1949 became independent under
the name of REPUBLIC INDONESIA, many of the inhabitants of the
Southern Moluccas, who had supported the Dutch in the Indonesian
struggle for independence, feared the new government's retribution
and left the country together with the departing Dutch troops. They
settled in the Netherlands, where they still form a community ca.
50.000 strong. Immediately, an exile government, REPUBLIK
MALUKU SELATAN, was formed.

When the Korean War broke out, the Moluccan exile government
contacted General McArthur, offering to send 2.000 combattants
if the U.S. in return would recognize their claim of
Moluccan independence.

Needless to say, the U.S. government
did not respond to the offer, and the Moluccan troop contingent
for the Korean War never materialized. A major activity of the
exile government was issuing stamps which never were used;
some of them feature General Douglas McArthur, on whom
their political hopes rested for a while.

Stamp issued by the Exile Government of the Republic of the
Southern Moluccas featuring the country's map and their flag's colours
Stamps issued by the Exile Government of the Republic of the
Southern Moluccas featuring the UN Emblem and
General Douglas McArthur

From Indonesian perspective, the exile government
representatives were collaborators and potential insurgents.
The Moluccans, many of whom are christian, feared that the
new Republic of Indonesia would be dominated by Muslim
Javanese, and that their region would lose it's cultural identity.
These days, the Moluccas are one of the regions where violent
clashes between different ethnic groups take place.
It is to be hoped, that newly democratic Indonesia can
overcome the tension and establish a multicultural society.